Welcome to crocodile country: the remarkable comeback of Australia’s Jaws of the north
Welcome to crocodile country: the remarkable comeback of Australia’s Jaws of the north
Posted by John P. Bradford // December 27, 2016
Calls for culls always surge after attacks by salties but its their habitat not humans that will decide their numbers
For the people of Australias tropical north, a wary coexistence with crocodiles is a fact of life.
Protected for more than four decades after being hunted to near extinction, the ancient reptile on the credible numbers that are available has staged a remarkable recovery.
In the Northern Territory there are now as many as 100,000 saltwater crocodiles, up from just 3,000 in 1971. There are similar estimates in neighbouring Queensland but the true population will not be known until the first systematic government survey is completed over the next three to five years.
With that resurgence has come inevitable reminders that in natural settings people and crocodiles share, the formers place at the top of the food chain can be an illusion.
Keith Saalfeld, a principal scientist with the NT environment and natural resources department, says it is worth noting that crocodiles, although deadly, are one of the laziest animals on the planet.
Everything for them is about how much energy it costs to do something for what it gets in return, he says.
Its not uncommon to see one sitting on the banks of a river with its mouth open, waiting literally for a fish to swim inside their mouth.
Crocs are a stalk-and-ambush predator They dont go chasing things like a cheetah. They hide and sneak up very carefully and wait and wait until whatever theyre after finally moves within their range of grab.
Official figures record 29 known deaths across the Top End since hunting was outlawed: 21 in the NT since 1974 (including four in 2014) and eight in Queensland since 1985.